Turn on the slow cooker and get a meal ready while you're at work

Oct. 23, 2012

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Most Halloweens, I get close to 100 kids collecting candy at my doorstep. And whether you’re like me, getting up to greet each child to admire costumes, or you’re out supervising your little ones pounding the pavement in search of Snickers, we share one thing: We’re too busy to cook.

So why not plan ahead and make dinner in the slow cooker? After all, nothing’s easier to eat right after work than one-pot dishes and slow-cooked food. (And with all that candy, you’re going to need to get some protein into your children!)

Some years, I’ve made Rick Bayless’ Slow-Cooked Chicken with Tomatillos, Potatoes, Jalapeños and Fresh Herbs, which I put in the Crock-Pot early in the morning. You layer chicken thighs with the other ingredients and turn the Crock-Pot on low. That’s it. (You can also make it in the oven by layering the ingredients in a Dutch oven. And it works terrific with pork.) Serve it with fresh tortillas and you’ve got one heck of a taco.

I’ve also had a lot of success with Nigella Lawson’s Coq au Riesling, which is made with a few of my favorite ingredients: bacon, Riesling and mushrooms. Heavy cream is optional, but welcome.

You can find both these recipes on my Small Bites blog at food.lohudblogs .com.

Looking for new inspiration, I also asked some of the Small Bites food bloggers for their favorite slow-cooker recipes. Seasonal Chef blogger Maria Reina suggested a Chipotle Chicken and Butternut Squash Stew. Our vegan blogger, JL Fields, who writes “I Eat Plants,” likes a Asian-Adzuki Bean Crock-Pot Chili. The recipes are below.

Either one sounds delicious. And the best part? When I get home from work, all I have to worry about is what costume I’m going to put on to greet my trick-or-treaters. Hmm. I think I hear that cowboy hat calling to me.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place the celery, carrot, onion, peppers, garlic, tomatillos and tomatoes in a 5-quart slow cooker and combine well with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add the squash and chicken. In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken stock, chipotle, lime zest and juice and pour into the pot. Set on low heat for 8 hours.